Man pleads not guilty to killing grandparents with an ax
An investigation at a Glendale home in the 600 block of Alexander Street on June 29, where the bodies of a couple were found the day before.
A 34-year-old man accused of killing his elderly grandparents with an ax in their Glendale home pleaded not guilty Monday to two counts of capital murder, officials said.
William and Verna Scheiern, 77 and 82, respectively, were found dead in their home on June 28 when police went to check on them after an out-of-state relative reported that she’d not heard from them and was concerned.
When police entered the home in the 600 block of Alexander Street through the open front door, they found the two bodies, which were significantly decomposed. The victims both died of blood loss from traumatic injuries, authorities said.
Police believe Nathaniel Scheiern, who had lived with his grandparents in Glendale for about a year, killed them three or four days before their bodies were discovered.
He is being held without bail, and is due back in court in November.
He could face the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole, authorities said.
Detectives had named him a person of interest shortly after the bodies were discovered, but could not interview him for several days because he’d been involved in a solo-car crash on the Golden State (5) Freeway that left him hospitalized with “significant” but non-life-threatening injuries. He was arrested on July 2.
